Pineapple Blaze
by Anjelle
Summary: A collection of disconnected AU drabbles centring around the 1st and 2nd division commanders of the Whitebeard pirates. Based around requested prompts. Set as complete but updates sporadically.
1. Mamihlapinatapei

**So I write a lot of drabbles for memes on tumblr, and I figured I'd let my FF followers read them too! This will be updated whenever I write a MarcoAce drabble :) Hope you don't mind the spam as I get all the old ones up here~**

* * *

**Mamihlapinatapei** \- The look between two people in which each loves the other but is too afraid to make the first move.

* * *

Marco sighed, lifting his brother's half-drunk body from the floor of the deck. The mumbling youth didn't exactly go with his motions, his body heavy and awkward as he maneuvered the boy's arm around his shoulder.

He sighed. "Ace," he called, "work with me, yoi. We need to get you to your room."

"'M fine," the fire user slurred, clearly showing the opposite.

"You're drunk."

"'M not."

The blond rolled his eyes, hefting them to their feet. If Ace cooperated with him then it wouldn't be so bad, but of course he just wouldn't do that. Even still he managed to carry the drunken brat to his room, setting him down on the bed.

"'M not tired, ya stuhpid pineapple."

Marco's eyebrow twitched buy he decidedly ignored it, helping the intoxicated pirate take off his boots, tossing them onto the floorboards. Then, gripping the covers, he started tucking him in.

"Marcooooo," the youth whined, pushing the covers off, "I'm not a kid."

_Could have fooled me._ He once more grabbed the blankets, leaning in to pull them up to Ace's neck. For a moment he paused, looking down at the flushed skin of his crewmate. He swallowed, feeling his face flush. Ace's eyes widened and immediately the fire user turned away, staring at the wall.

"Get some rest yoi," he commanded, managing to keep his voice even as he walked to the door.

"…Stuhpid pineapple."

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**Hope you enjoyed and please review if you can!**

**Adieu~**


	2. Rule 63 AU

**Rule 63!AU**

* * *

Ace threw his head back as the last of the ale dripped from the mug, releasing an annoyed groan as he stared across at freckled cheeks matching his own, grey eyes glossed with a drunken haze. It was eerie watching her, seeing such dissimilarity when they were, well, the same person.

"So you guys got a Sachi on your crew?" Anne asked, and Ace's eyes caught on a hand caressing her hip, slowly moving downward…

He swallowed, eyes lifting to meet the blonde seated next to her.

"Sachi?" Marco repeated from his side, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. You know, carefree idiot, scar right he—" The description was interrupted by a surprised yelp and Anne craned her neck towards her partner, scowling at the blond's grin. "Marko!"

The 2nd division commander tensed, hesitantly turning towards his superior. Their eyes met and immediately both looked away, awkward heat rising to their faces. Seeing themselves as women was weird enough, but _together_…

"You mean Thatch, yoi?" Marco questioned. "He's back on the Moby Dick.

"So she's a he, too?" Anne didn't react as she was pulled onto the elder woman's lap, arms wrapped tightly around her waste. Her counterpart watched as a head came to rest on her shoulder. "What about the old lady?"

"Wait wait wait," Ace interrupted, holding out a hand in pause, "_Pops_ is… Never mind."_  
_

"Seems everyone's different in our realities," Marko remarked, her lips brushing against the shell of her lover's ear. The act sent a warm shiver through Ace's body and he had to look away, noticing that the fire needed rekindling. He bent forward, hand outstretched towards the open flame when he found his counterpart doing the same. They both paused, staring at one another in silent conversation and eventually he conceded, allowing her to revive the dying light with one simple display of her ability. If he didn't believe it before, he had to then. "This sea never ceases to amaze me, yoi."

Marco grunted in agreement and Ace turned to glance at him, his blue eyes set in contemplative observation as he watched the women. He couldn't help but wonder just what was going on in that pineapple-shaped head of his.

Anne swivelled around, pressing her lips against her lover's in a chaste kiss before rising and stretching with a grin. "I'm 'a head to bed. We can rejoin our crews tomorrow. Marko?"

The blonde smiled and nodded, accepting it when a hand was offered to help her to her feet. The girls looked back at their male selves in silent question, who in turn shook their heads.

"We'll stay on watch, yoi. You two get some rest."

The pair left without fuss, having no complaints about those arrangements. And as he watched them go, Ace couldn't ignore the slight pressure of a hand on his, radiating foreign yet comfortable warmth. He glanced over in surprise at the first mate who's eyes were still fixed on their retreating forms.

"Sorry, yoi," he was quick to say when their eyes met, yet his hand never left. "…Does it bother you?"

And Ace had to smile as he threw some more kindling into the small blaze before them.

"Not at all."

He really liked that island.

* * *

**Adieu~**


	3. Childhood AU

**…Okay, so I MAY have cheated a little and made it _Immortality_-esque… But you don't understand! I read "childhood" and I couldn't stop thinking about that fic, okay?! I tried T_T**

* * *

**Childhood!AU**

* * *

Ace peeked around the corner, his large eyes following the moving form of his caretaker as he paced about the room. Marco, patient, relaxed Marco, was chewing his lip and tapping the wood of the table, getting up only to sit back down moments later and bore holes into the floor with the strength of his glare. The boy's fingers tightened around the beam he hid behind, his own anxiety bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He'd never seen the phoenix lord like that, and he was scared.

The blond dropped his head into his hands and released a shivering breath, and Ace found himself taking a hesitant step forward, then another and another until he was standing before the man with the fabric of his overskirt crumpled within his fists. He swallowed. "…Marco?"

The man's posture went rigid as he slowly turned, meeting the boy's grey stare. "Yes, Ace?"

"Lu…" His voice faded as he thought back to how sick his brother looked, how his skin turned to ice beneath his fingertips with a chill so strong it sucked the heat from Ace's body with the slightest of touches. "I-is he gonna be okay?"

The words had barely passed through his lips when he was pulled in tightly, embraced by fiery robes of red, a palm pressing against the back of his head as his chin came to rest in the crook of Marco's neck.

"It's alright, yoi," Marco whispered, his voice breaking as he took in a breath. "Nothing's going to happen to him."

"But—"

"He's going to be _fine_, Ace. Trust me."

Ace found himself deepening the hug, grabbing the fabric of the layered regalia as though to keep Marco from leaving.

"I'm here," the phoenix cooed, rubbing soothing circles into the small of his back. "You're not alone. You're _never_ alone."

And Ace buried his face into his caretaker's shoulder, allowing salty tears to sink into the cloth.

He didn't know what he would have done if Marco wasn't there.

* * *

**Adieu~**


	4. Hooker AU

**Hooker!AU**

* * *

Marco watched as the boy who'd just bought him for the night waved goodbye to his friends, a few of them whispering things in his ear before he guided the kid into the hotel. Both were silent as they walked to the allotted room, the blond never one to socialize with his clients if he could avoid it.

As he unlocked the door and headed over to the bed he noticed the boy pause. It wasn't until he started removing his shirt that he bothered glancing over, wondering what was with the sudden hesitation. He seemed pretty eager outside. Well, whatever.

"If you want anything special it'll cost you extra, yoi. I don't do any weird shit: no blood, no choking, no—"

"Um…" He dropped the shirt atop the bedsheets, blue eyes scrolling over to where the young man was fidgeting in place, the confidence that seemed to exude from his being zapped away in an instant once he saw Marco take the waistline of his pants between his fingers. "A-about that…"

He narrowed his eyes. The boy wasn't going to ask for something unpleasant, was he? Something degrading? He'd had enough of that over the last year working that job and he really didn't—

"Can we talk?"

His shoulders deflated and he turned towards the youth, blinking at his awkward stance as he avoided eye contact. "What?"

"Talk," the boy repeated, as though he hadn't heard it the first time. "Just, like… get to know each other?"

Marco pulled his mouth taut, glaring at the boy. Hadn't he already mentioned he didn't like to become involved with clients? "I would prefer not to—"

"I-I mean instead of sex."

The room went quiet as Marco looked him over skeptically, confusedly. Why would…?

Virgin. He'd landed a virgin client. His theory only became more credible when he saw an embarrassed blush on the younger's freckled cheeks.

But talking instead of sex… that didn't sound too bad.

"Y-you see," the boy stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck, "I didn't really… wanna do this. The guys talked me into it, a-and… You can keep the money, just…"

"I'm not good enough for you, yoi?" Marco teased as he replaced his hands at his sides, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.

"I-I didn't—" The boy finally lifted his eyes from the floor only to furrow his brow and pout. "Oi! Jerk."

He couldn't help a raspy chuckle as the rest of the tension left his shoulders and he dropped onto the mattress, patting the spot beside him and watching as his client quietly filled it. "Well, what's your name, then?"

The boy grinned, "Ace."

And he smiled back, "Marco."

Maybe a day off was just what he needed.

* * *

**Adieu~**


	5. Prison AU

**Prison!AU**

* * *

Marco's eyes were set tiredly on the floor as he listened to the clapping of shoes against cobblestone, barely registering it. He would never admit it aloud—wouldn't dream of damaging his pride like that—but the sterilization took a lot out of him. It was damn painful, and hard to keep his indifferent expression until they'd dumped him in that cell. But he'd done it, and now he was paying the price with fatigue and sudden shivers of pain.

The footsteps stopped behind the cell bars, one of the wall torches lighting as he looked up. Dark eyes bore into his own, a blurry mess from the haze of pain clouding his eyes.

"You look like shit."

It took him a while to realize he was the one who was being spoken to, but even then he didn't respond, didn't return the remark. Through the exhaustion he could make out a uniform, one he'd gotten to know intimately since his arrival, and the signature hat of the Impel Down staff. So that was a Level Six guard, then.

"Commander Marco, first mate of the Whitebeard pirates. Quite a title you got there." He decided then to close his eyes, to tune out the mocking and low jibes that were soon to follow. "You don't look like that big of a deal. Guess the cleansing takes a lot out of you, huh?"

The prisoner looked at him again with renewed interest, watching as the cell door was opened. He could barely hear the shouts of the prisoners in other cells down the hall.

Suddenly a water canteen was dangled tauntingly in front of him, the boy's face now inches from his own and split with a grin.

"Thirsty?"

He wasn't given a chance to answer as a hand came around to gently cup the back of his head. The pirate immediately relaxed into it, tipping back as the lip of the canteen was pressed to his mouth. He savoured every drop, the liquid cool as it cascaded down his throat. Marco's head followed it as it was pulled away, displeasure evident in his expression when he couldn't drink anymore. He was still thirsty, but grateful for the little he was given.

Settling his gaze on the boy with the freckles, no more than a child wearing that uniform, he narrowed his eyes. "You…"

Uncaring of the chains fixing Marco to the wall, the guard sat next to him, looking out into the hall with a smile. "There's no surveillance in front of the cell, so I won't get in trouble. Or, well, I _better_ not. Old man'll be pissed if he finds out."

What… was he even doing there? "Why, yoi?"

The guard looked at him like he had three heads. "You're not serious, right? Marine talkin' to a pirate, fucking entering his cell? He'd have a fit."

"Why are you doing this?" he managed to croak out, elaborating on his question and watching as realization dawned on the youth.

He turned away. Marco didn't.

"You've been here a few days, and you're probably the first that hasn't threatened to maim me—yet."

Marco didn't have the energy for shit like that.

"…They pushed up your execution date to tomorrow. Your captain's already started making his move. Figured it was the least I could do."

He had less than twenty-four hours, then. "…Thanks, yoi."

The boy smiled, shrugging off the comment. "It's nothing. Even pirates are human, right?"

He closed his eyes, allowing his head to fall back against the stone wall. So there were marines who believed that, too. It was a comforting thought.

"I wonder… if _he_ had someone before his execution."

…Who?

"Say," he started, renewed excitement in his voice, "does being a pirate make you free?"

The question was unexpected, but it led his mouth to curve upward. "It does."

_Interesting brat._

"More than anything else."

* * *

**Adieu~**


	6. Runaway Royalty AU

**Aaaand we're back with another request tumblr drabble! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Runaway Royalty!AU**

* * *

A string of curses left the youth as he hobbled down the streets, tearing the fine-crafted, loose-fitting fabrics of his clothes and tossing them to the ground without a care. Piece by piece it ripped and fell, and with it his burdened shoulders released their tension, the weight of his lineage happily left behind amidst the royal robes.

"I hate that fucking man," he mumbled in a snarl, the rich jewelry next to go as he removed necklaces from his throat and bangles from his arms, sneering at them in disgust before dropping them as well. Someone else could find them for all he cared. He certainly didn't want any of that crap—didn't want to be associated with the jewels and riches of that rotten kingdom.

But hours later he was sulking. His stomach was empty and there was no food around—and even if there were, he… didn't know the first thing about cooking.

Admittedly his plan could have been a little more thought out. Or, well… he could have made a plan in the first place. That would have made things significantly easier.

Legs tired and sore from his long walk, the heir flopped down on the ground, leaning back against a dingy building wall and looking up at the stars. His feet were sore as shit and he was hungry, but… he did it. He was out.

Still hungry, though.

"This is fucking shit," he spat, moody from tiredness.

"Keep it down, yoi."

The scowl was instantly wiped from his face and he looked up with curious eyes to see a blond leaning against the sill of the window he sat under, blue orbs watching him lazily. He blinked. "Oh, uh, sorry."

The man's head tilted—and he had the most peculiar hairstyle—as he looked the royal over with slight amusement behind a thinly-worn mask of boredom. "You don't look like you belong here, yoi."

He snorted and turned away. "Yeah well fuck you, too, buddy."

The blond laughed—such a quiet, light sound—and he tried to ignore it, but then a sweet aroma billowed out form the open window and his mouth pooled with saliva. _Fuck_ that smelled good._  
_

Apparently his stomach thought so, as well, because the noise it made was enough to turn Ace's face a stark shade of red. And he _hated_ yet… didn't hate… how the blond man laughed again.

"Hungry?"

"Shut up."

"Want to come inside? I'll treat you, yoi."

His face instantly brightened and he was to his feet in a heartbeat, nodding enthusiastically, heading for the door, and inviting himself in. A welcomed rush of warmth caressed his form, fighting off the numbing chill in his fingers and toes, and he grinned at the man standing by the window.

Ah, shit, he forgot manners. Hastily he lowered himself into a formal bow, eliciting a raised eyebrow from his host. "I'm Ace, by the way."

"Marco," came the indifferent reply.

Ace righted himself and took a seat at the table. "So," he started with a sloppy smile, "what'cha makin'?"

* * *

**Adieu~**


	7. New Step-Sibling AU

**Brand New Step-Sibling!AU**

* * *

Edward Newgate was a man with many sons. So when he learned he was going to get another sibling, Marco wasn't all that surprised. It didn't phase him, really. He _was_, of course, curious to meet the boy.

Marco worked most afternoons so he wasn't there to greet the kid during his arrival. He did get back home until late that night-well past midnight-so he was unable to glimpse him then, as well. It wasn't a big deal, he supposed; there was always the morning... except Thatch mentioned the kid worked the opening shift at a shop or something...

Releasing a heavy breath, he entered the main hall, stumbled into the living room and collapsed on the couch with a groan. He was sore and tired and /really/ needed a shower, but for the moment he couldn't bring himself to stand. Just a few moments of rest...

"Oi," called an unfamiliar voice. Marco's eyes blinked open to see a stranger hovering over him. "Move over."

It was then that the blond realized he was taking up the vast majority of the couch. Giving an affirmative grunt, he straightened and shifted over to the corner cushion, not even questioning what the stranger was doing in his house.

With a mumbled word of thanks the boy flopped down beside him, causing the couch to bounce slightly, and opened what looked in the darkness to be a liquor bottle, tipping his head back and chugging a good third of it before lowering it to take a breath, a satisfied hum leaving him as he turned to Marco and offered it.

"Want some?"

He blinked. "I'm... fine, yoi."

The boy shrugged and reached for the remote, turning on the television and flipping absently from channel to channel. Marco watched him with curious eyes. Once he pushed his exhaustion aside it wasn't hard to guess that this kid was the new brother he'd yet to meet. What he was doing up at 3am was up for debate, however.

The glow from the TV allowed him a look at his new sibling's features-dark waves of charcoal black, childish freckles along his cheeks and shoulders... and just why was he only in his boxers?

"Don't remember meeting you earlier," the boy stated, observing him with an interested glint in his eyes. "You break in?"

"What?" Marco blinked. "No, yoi. I was working."

"Ah. You're one of them, then?"

"First brother," he confirmed.

"Oldest?"

"No," he replied, "but first. You're Ace, yoi?"

The boy gave an incredulous look but it faded with a shake of his head and soon he was grinning. "Yeah. Portgas D. Ace. 'N you?"

"Marco," he supplied, smiling politely even as the boy kicked his feet onto the coffee table and reclined, gulping down more alcohol.

"'S a pleasure, I'm sure. Say... got anything stronger? This," he shook the bottle, the liquid inside swishing about, "is doing _nothing_ for me."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "Are you even old enough to drink?"

"What do you think?"

"No, yoi."

"And you'd be right. But let's not sweat the details."

He had a feeling... that one was going to be a handful.

* * *

**Adieu~**


	8. Afterlife

**Afterlife/Death**

* * *

Being dead was strangely a far less terrifying experience experience than Ace thought it would be. In fact, more than anything it was simply _boring_. He couldn't feel, couldn't be seen, never got hungry or thirsty or tired…

And he couldn't speak. Maybe that had to do with the whole 'no vocal cords' bit, but, really? He couldn't even be allowed the grace of hearing himself talk? And what kind of broken logic was that? He could _think_ well enough and he technically no longer had a brain either—

…On second thought, he wasn't going to take that any further.

It'd been about three months since his death. He couldn't really remember _how_ he died, exactly, but never dwelled on it. Did it really matter? One way or another, he was dead. The method didn't really factor into that. More than that… his memories were fuzzy. In the beginning, right after his death, he couldn't recall anything more than his name and age. Maybe it was some sort of shock or something, but regardless of the cause, he was left a blank slate that filled more each day he floated around that expansive house.

That was his home, he knew—one he'd lived in a great many years. He recalled his childhood in the mountains with his siblings, moving out when he was seventeen and finding his own place, then eventually moving from an apartment to where he was now. He recalled most things, actually, so by then he wasn't too concerned with what was still hazy. It couldn't have been important.

One morning, however, a man entered his home, _Uninvited_, the rude fuck. He had pretended not to think about it, but he knew that one day his home would belong to someone else, whether he was haunting it or not. It… hurt to admit. He'd spent a long, long time trying to save up for that place. But, well, the dead didn't really _need_ houses.

Nevertheless, Ace tried to scare off the movers. Because _no one_ was taking his home without a fight. Thankfully if he concentrated he could still interact with the world around him no differently than he could before. He'd dropped things, tripped a few men and moved their boxes back outside, but it didn't really work. They just… didn't care, or didn't notice—and how _dense_ was that?

Huffing, he leaned on the rail of the second floor as he watched the movers leave, the house's new owner now its only occupant other than himself. And Ace _glared_ at the man. Having failed in his mission of keeping the guy from moving in, his next course of action was trying to scare him away._  
_

While alive, Ace had been quite a fan of horror, and a sub-genre that always caught his interest was hauntings, so he was quick to get right into the old cliches so commonly found in those movies—the shiver down one's spine or the matching footsteps from behind as one walked alone through the halls. Then came writing warning messages through the fog on the bathroom mirror when he showered: _'Get out.'_

The problem was that no matter what he tried, and no matter how _blunt _he was, the jerk ignored him. It wasn't that he didn't notice—oh he _noticed_ alright—it was more to the effect that he just… didn't care. It didn't scare him. Hell, it didn't even _faze_ him. And Ace exhausted all of his passive-aggressive ideas, leaving him very, _very_ displeased.

The ghost sat glaring at Marco—he'd picked up the man's name at some point—from his spot on the armchair across from the couch. The blond was flipping through a book, his reading glasses on, completely ignoring the other's presence—not that Ace was exactly easy to detect.

_I hate you._

He huffed, bored as usual. At some point he'd given up on getting the house thief to leave, but that left him with nothing to do. And if there was a way to 'move on' or whatever, he hadn't found it.

Ace's eyes scrolled down to the coffee table between them, and with a careful look of consideration he decided to grab the open notepad resting atop it and one of the pens from the study, scribbling down a short message and holding it up to the blond's face.

Marco looked up, eyes widening on the 'floating' note, and read the words.

_'You're stubborn as shit, you know that?'_

He blinked, his posture relaxing as he sank back into the couch, eyes returning to their usual half-lidded appearance. "Well it's nice to meet you, too, yoi."

The ghost snorted, pulling his arm back to write the next message. _Asshole._ Again he held it up, shoving it in the other's face.

_'Why won't you leave?'_

"Why won't you?" Ace pulled his mouth taut, knowing that the man had a point… "This is my house, yoi. I'm not going to move after settling in just because you keep pestering me."

_'It was MY place first, you know.'_

"Well it doesn't look like you're in much need of it now, given the circumstances."

…Another fair point. But still. He wasn't going to change his mind just because of that!

_'What happened to leaving the dead rest in peace?'_

"I haven't tried to get rid of you, have I?"

…Goddamn that man. That wasn't the point! But, well… he clearly wasn't going to get anywhere like this, what with Marco refusing to leave and all. And it might not be so bad, having company… Trying to scare him had been fun, although frustrating when every attempt ended in failure. Well…

_'Fine. Alright. I'll play your game.'_

Marco smiled, closing his book and setting it down on his lap. "Good, yoi. I was wondering how many times I'd have to see you writing on my mirror while I'm showering before you gave up." If Ace had a body, he may have blushed an embarrassed red. Maybe. "What's your name, then?" He held out his hand as a sort of truce.

Ace sighed—how he did so without lungs, he didn't know—and took the hand, watching Marco shiver as he held up the last note.

_'Ace.'_

Immediately the blond's eyes widened, his grip on the ghost's hand tightening, as he stared forward, his eyes searching around for an unseeable body. "…A-Ace…?"

And as he furrowed his brow, he started to remember.

_Marco was my…_

* * *

**Adieu~**


	9. New Years

**So this is actually a Chrismas present for Son Goshen. I hope she and the rest of you enjoy it!**

* * *

Waking up from his evening nap to see a bright red flower resting atop the pillow beside him had Ace narrowing his eyes. Forcing his sluggish body upright, he picked it up by the stem and stared, twirling it between his fingers. It wasn't technically the first time he'd seen one-there were fields upon fields of them on the island they'd docked at that morning so he'd seen plenty by then-but this was the first time he took the time to look so closely. Five petals, red pistil and yellow stamen…

He shook his head. The damn flower wasn't important. What it was doing _there_, in his _bedroom_, was. Hopping to his feet and stretching his arms high into the air with a satisfied hum, the pirate was _about_ to push it to the back of his mind and go to the mess hall for a late dinner when his eyes caught on something small on the floor.

A petal.

The flower in his hand was still intact, and that had his frown returning. "Alright, who's idea was this?" he questioned aloud, striding across the room and opening the door at the far end, continuing to mutter. And his eyes fell on yet another petal. And another, and another-a whole _trail_ of them. His expression soured further. "Thatch. 'S gotta be Thatch."

How cheesy. Well, best to see where his brother was leading him, right? If nothing else, it'd kill a bit of time, and that in itself was nice. He needed food, though. Badly. It better have been a short side trip…

Twirling the flower absently, he followed the line of red petals down the hall and up onto the deck. No one was there, which was odd because even in the dead of night there were usually a few crew members scattered about, drinking or on night watch. Now, though? There wasn't even a light on in the crow's nest.

This was getting suspicious.

But then, as he started to think, he heard a small commotion breaking through the sounds of the restless winds and waves crashing against the Moby Dick's hull. He narrowed his eyes, approaching the bow of the ship, and his eyes locked onto the sandy white beaches below. He pinched the bridge of his nose as the crowds of pirates looked up to him and cheered.

"Ace!" they called happily, certainly damn proud of themselves.

He lowered his hand, leaning forward on the rail and shouted down, "The hell do you idiots think you're doing?!"

Whatever they answered was jumbled into an incoherent mess, with each of them trying to shout over one another. How horribly, horribly cheesy. And embarrassing. It _had_ to be Thatch.

He looked away from his brothers and stared down at the rail to hide his heated cheeks. "Fucking morons…"

A raspy chuckle from behind had his shoulders stiffening only a brief moment, and out of the corner of his eye he saw someone lean on the railing next to him, staring out at the drunken festivities below. "Give them a break, yoi. They tried."

Ace snorted, even as his body instantly relaxed at the sound, the voice bringing immediate comfort and warmth. "This was Thatch. It _has_ to be Thatch."

The blond's eyes scrolled over to him, an eyebrow raised as his lips curled in amusement. "Giving him credit already? You never know; it could have been someone else."

"Of course it-" The logia cut himself off, turning to fully face the first mate as his mind worked over those words, and his mouth gaped as he pointed an accusing finger Marco's way. "_You _did this?! _Really_? I never knew you were so…"

"Thoughtful?"

"Lame."

That smile Marco wore only grew as he reached out to card a hand through the younger's hair. "Admittedly I'm not very creative, yoi." Steely blue orbs lowered to the red petals still firmly gripped in Ace's hand. "Hibiscus. This island is famous for it."

Ace's eyes widened. He lifted the flower into view, watching it with renewed interest. "So that's…" After a stretching quiet, he lifted his head to the blond. "I've… never seen one, actually. My home island didn't have any." And it wasn't like he really paid much attention to the flowers he'd come across during his journey.

To Marco's raised eyebrow, he smiled softly, fondly. "My gramps… He told me that she-that, uh, my… my mother used to wear them. In her hair."

Suddenly the first mate pulled him into a hug, which he willingly gave in to, wrapping his arms around the taller man's back.

"I…" He swallowed. "I used to hate today. I hated it… so much, back then. But-then there was Sabo, and Luffy, and now…"

Marco cupped his cheeks. "Really, yoi? I actually love today."

Ace rolled his eyes as the phoenix leaned in to kiss his forehead, trying to hide his flushed cheeks. "Yeah, yeah, old man…" A holler from below had him groaning and reluctantly pulling from his lover's grip. "Alright, alright already! I'm coming!"

He stepped onto the railing, but there was a pause before he left. "...Marco?"

"Hm?"

"...Thanks for this."

The blond closed his eyes and smiled as his lover jumped down. "Anytime, yoi."

Across the white sands, flowers were dropped in a carefully laid-out pattern to spell out their message: _HAPPY BIRTHDAY ACE!_


End file.
